Monster and Angels
We live in a crowded world where the dark and light side of things dwindles in the gray. But even to the most clever and wise, monsters and angels are still unseen clearly. Celeste wakes up just after the mid day sun begins to pass. “The next morning I awoke with what felt like a slight case of amnesia mixed with a type of headache. My vision was blurry and disoriented, like if someone spilt my sight down the center and scattered it among the light like a kaleidoscope. My vision would come together then split all over again anytime I would try to gain focus. Everything soon began to become really clear. My vision came together but the light made my eyes hurt and my head felt like it was going to explode. In front of me was a jug of water along with cup. There were distant sounds of music coming from somewhere but I couldn’t see the source. The scent of burned wax and died out candle wicks cut the air, and I was naked. I quickly scrambled for something to cover myself, in the empty room, but only thing available was the near by sheet which I used. It was white and stained with wine, food and human fluids from a female… possibly several. I know because I could smell it, even the faint stains undetectable by the human eye. I could only think what happen the night before but my mouth was unbelievably dry and I thirst for water.” With her vision still coming focus Celeste sits on the edge of the bed and reaches for the jug and cup. Unable to reach it, while holding the sheet against her to cover, she gets up off the bed. She pours the water into the cup. As she takes a drink of the water and sits the cup down, she attempts to regain her full vision only to be interrupted by Anabel who sits in the shadows of the room. Anabel: Hell of a night would you say? (with a sly flirtatious look on her face) Startled by her Celeste tries to quickly cover up again. Anabel chuckles. Anabel: Darlin it’s not like I haven’t seen you already. No need to hide or be shy… we’re all ladies here. Celeste: Sorry… it’s just I didn’t see you there… you scared me that’s all… (with a shy and embarrassed tone) Anabel: I’ve been up a while… was just watching you sleep a second ago… and getting an eye full. (saying as she moves closer but still in the shadows) Celeste: Oh… ok… um I thought you sleep during the day? Anabel: Not always…. We can sleep when we want for a long as want however we want… long as we stay out of direct sunlight. (saying as she walks closer to Celeste to help her with her clothes from the previous night still in shadow, Anabel is wearing a red silk gown) Celeste still nervous takes the clothing, turns away and begins to get dress. Anabel: Don’t be shy. (chuckles) You sure as hell weren’t last night. Celeste sits down back on the bed in the sunlight and continues to dress. Celeste: What… what happened last night? Anabel: We had a fucking great time is what happen darlin’! Celeste: Last thing I remember was you giving me that stuff to smoke. Anabel: The opium? Yea was good shit (chuckles as she sits back down) and a hell of a ride! Celeste: That’s never happened to me before… Did we? Anabel smiles proudly. Celeste: Oh fuck… (saying embarrassedly) Anabel: What? It’s nothing wrong with it. It’s just sex… we are immortal… it’s part of what we do. Get to bask in the pleasures of life… told you that… And trust me… you loved it. Not with just me but with the others too. (saying with a smile) You had to have cum over a dozen times. (chuckles) Celeste closes her eyes in disappointment. Anabel: Don’t feel bad… it’s just one night… and… we have eternity. Anyway, listen, I need to you to take the carriage, it’s just outside and go to my place. Grab me some clothes… Celeste: … (standing hesitant in a lighted area of the room) Anabel: You kind of have to come over here… I don’t want to get scorched. Celeste walks over to Anabel in the shadows. Anabel: Cheer up… soon the fog in your head will lift and you’ll remember everything… and if it’s such a big deal I can compel you so you don’t remember it. Celeste: You can? Anabel: Yea, but first I need you to do this… I’m on duty tonight so when you go the servants will know what to grab. Just tell them “Mistress is on duty tonight” so you don’t grab the wrong things. They will know what you mean, it’s important. Celeste: Why can’t we just cover you in a blanket and take you outside or something? Anabel: Because in the mid day it will be noticeable to be covered in a blanket yet alone if I catch fire don’t you think? Celeste: I guess you have a point… Anabel: Well that’s something needed done just before dawn… trust me I’d much rather do it myself, look can you just do this please? Celeste: Yea… sure… Celeste finishes getting dressed then heads outside to the carriage which takes her off toward the castle. It takes the carriage a couple hours to get to the castle but none the less it makes it there still. Celeste exits the carriage and into the castle, escorted by a French servant wearing servant clothing, and blond hair and petite frame, into the main hallway. Celeste to the servant. Translated in French. Celeste: Um… The mistress is on duty tonight in the city and request her things. The servant bows. Translated in French. Servant: Follow me My lady. Celeste follows the girl into the lower levels of the castle. As she walks she continues to listen for any other vampires in the house (with her enhanced hearing) but hears none. Celeste: Are there any other present lords and ladies in the house? Servant: Some rest for the day my lady and others are about the land. The two begin to walk through the castle lower levels, down a dark corridor. As they reach a steel door the servant knocks to be let in by another servant. The man wears a collar around his neck like a dog and is shirtless revealing his muscular form. He wore dirty, dingy and ripped slacks with boots to match and reeked of body odor, dirt and sweat. His hair was brown, dirty and wet. His eyes brown with a long beard. Celeste could tell he was human, but he was not from France because his skin and accent was not that of French decent. As Celeste enters the room she sees and is surrounded by various weaponry of time; bows, crossbows, swords, lances, spears, staffs, catapults even various armor. Celeste is marveled by the sight because such an armory is only obtained through wealth and power. And being immortal the Mondragon’s could have weapons from around the world for ages to come, she was starting to see more and more what Anabel meant by having perks to being immortal. Translated in French. Servant male: Greetings Sasha… and who might this be? Sasha: This is Lady Celeste. New acquaintance to our Young Mistress Mondragon… Servant male: Ah… a new one… (saying as he looks at Celeste curiously for a second) you’re obviously different… or you wouldn’t be down here… I take it young mistress wishes for new weapons for her duty tonight. Celeste: Weapons? No… she just… just wanted me to get her stuff for tonight… Servant male: Exactly… come. Sasha and Celeste begin to walk with. Celeste: What is this place? And… who are you? Servant male: I am Inkil… black smith to the Mondragon clan and this… this is their personal armory… my life’s work. Celeste: Wow… this is… incredible… how long have you been at this? Inkil: It is my purpose… this is all I do… so… years. Celeste: Amazing (saying as she looks on) Inkil: I assume young mistress will be in need of her short swords and her usual assortments… Celeste: Um… I guess. Inkil hands Celeste a few pieces of armor, a body suit and weapons. Inkil: Would you care for any my lady? Celeste: I don’t know… I mean I don’t think I’m going with her … Sasha: Well my lady it would be wise to go safe… Celeste: Um… I don’t know… Well I guess… Celeste continues to look at the pieces around her grabs only a chest plat and gauntlets as well as an under suit similar to Anabel’s. As Sasha and Celeste leave Inkil continues to talk. Inkil: Come back soon… I’m always available for the young mistress and her new comers. As Celeste heads back to the carriage to return to the city night begins to fall and the moon begins to come out round, bright and full. The carriage makes its way into town and pulls up to the brothel which Celeste and Anabel were staying. Celeste barely has enough time to get out of the carriage before being met by Anabel. Anabel: It’s about time… took you all day! Celeste: Well yes it’s…. Anabel: Nevermind that now… lets go! Anabel and Celeste get into the carriage and have the driver drive them to the edge of town. As they drive Anabel puts on the armor, weapons and suit Celeste brings her. The carriage stops just outside of town and the two get out as the carriage drives off. All that is around them is the sound of night, the full moon sky with stars, and a large dark forest in front of them. Celeste: What… what are we doing here? Anabel: Shh. (begins to whisper) Told you… I’m on duty. Whispering. Celeste: Duty for what? The two begin to descend down a hill in to the woods, Anabel armed and Celeste not. Anabel: … on your way out of town earlier… happen to notice anything on your way through the city? Celeste thinks back to when she left earlier from the city by carriage and remembered a large group of people crowded around the area. Celeste: Yes there was… a crowd of some kind… what for I don’t know… didn’t really have time to look around was kinda in motion. Anabel: Well there was an attack last night. They have been talking about it all day in the city. Some nobleman got his throat ripped out and his heart was removed. Celeste: What?! Wh… What the hell could have done that? Anabel: Shh…Well in their world… a wild animal… it’s been happening for months, always around the phases of the full moon. Celeste: The lunar cycle… Ana: Mhm... but in our world it could be many things… vengeful spirit… skin walker… hell could even be a vampire gone rogue. The two begin to pick up pace into the woods. Celeste: Rogue vampire? I thought you said… Anabel: We have our laws… but there are those who choose to rebel against them… just like humans do at times. When that happens… we put them down like dogs. Any way… in this particular matter we are looking for a wendigo… or werewolf. Celeste: Wendigo or werewolf? Anabel: Don’t tell me you’ve never heard of either… Celeste: No I have… learned about them when I was kid. Anabel: So you know the difference? Celeste: Yea… were wolves are practically people cursed, by scratch or bite, with transforming into wild monsters at the phases of the full moon. They live off and eat flesh of all kinds. Wendigos are mindless monsters whom were human and killed by a werewolf whom failed to eat the heart. They never take human form again after transforming during their first full moon. Anabel: You’ve done your work… Celeste: But if this monster’s been eating people during the phases of the full moon then clearly it’s a werewolf. Anabel: Yes… but…(saying as she looks around cautiously) Celeste: So we are hunting a werewolf. Anabel: (knods yes) We have kinda been at war with them for centuries… we were close to bringing them to extinction then they resurfaced in large numbers all over. We don’t know how. They have been killing our live stock… ravaging humans and jeopardizing our way of life. So every coven pulls duty one night a week to track and kill them in their area… this is so neither coven loses what they work hard to achieve. This is my night… and you’re along for the ride. Celeste: What makes you even think I could handle a werewolf? Anabel: Well you are a soldier… well you were… and you’re one of us… so have bound to have learned something in your... There is then a loud howl in the distance. Anabel: Time to earn you stripes. Saying as she hands Celeste a sword and dashes off using her vampire speed into shadows toward the howl. Celeste, being not as fast as Anabel, follows on foot first. She then stops and remembers her training as a ninja and begins swooping, swinging, dashing and jumping through trees; but still only half way on Anabel’s pace. Meanwhile, Anabel has engaged a large werewolf. It stands over six feet tall on hind legs, with large jaws and teeth with black hair, and wide claws. Anabel uses her vamp speed to dodge and maneuver the monsters attacks while swinging her sword to counter the monster. Her speed isn’t enough because the monster is just as strong her and she has to get in close just to kill it. Anabel eventually stabs the monster in the stomach with her sword but the monster quickly grabs her throat and lifts her off the ground disarming her as she tries to free herself. As it lifts her, it removes the sword from its gut. Celeste then leaps from the trees with her sword and cuts the monsters hand off. The beast screams in pain as Anabel removes the hands grip from her neck in discomfort. Celeste then engages the monster with a full assault swiftly moving from one place to the other without being hit. She eventually tumbles to the Anabel’s discarded sword, grabbing it, and begins using both swords to counter and attack repeatedly. As she moves into the monster close it knocks her back toward the trees. When she hits the trees she uses the gravity from the push to pull her self into summersault up the tree. This allows her to gain higher ground as she leaps up and jabs the monster through the eye straight into its head. Slightly out of breath Celeste removes the sword and stands to her feet from the monsters level. Anabel soon walks over to her holding her neck. Anabel: You kill wolves well… I should have expected such. Have to say… I’m impressed. (saying with a grin) Celeste: This… this was a test? Anabel takes the cleaner sword from Celeste and then walks over and kneels to grab a rock. She then walks back to the monster and begins to strike the rock against the sword, over it, creating sparks toward it. Anabel: Sort of… you see as vampires we can only hunt these things at night and around the lunar phase meaning we have three nights at least to hunt and kill them before they do any damage. Unfortunately they are fast… and blend in with people during the day to mask their scent. They know we can’t distinguish their scent among human blood. So come night we can’t even track them half the time. After the phase… the trail is pretty much cold… and we have to start over from scratch after a month giving them time to replenish their ranks and cause more devastation elsewhere. Celeste: But if they can’t change how do they replenish their ranks. Anabel: They manage… can drink their blood… be scratched still or impregnate human females. We have reason to believe that the much older ones can possibly transform at will. Celeste: So you want me to hunt them… for you? Strong enough spark then ignites setting the body in flames. Anabel: (looking at Celeste with a annoyed look) You see I’ve got my hands wrapped in stuff… politics you can say… me… my family… we don’t have time to be hunting these monsters. Not in the night and definitely not in the day. Look I’ve already started to help you… this is how you can pay me back. We’ll set you up in a room… give you food, water, wine, any resources… all the weapons you need… (chuckling) all the sex you can stand. Celeste: And all the history of our kind I can handle? Anabel: Mhm… That’s the deal… can take it or… Celeste: Deal. (saying with determination and gratification as she holds out her hand) Anabel shakes her hand. Anabel: Well Alright. (saying with a proud smile.) “At the time the monsters were clear to me. And I was willing to do anything to get back to my love… and something was telling me this was a step in the right direction. I had found the true angels among men… despite the wars I had witness and the terror in eyes I’d seen…or so I thought...”